Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Okkervil River - The Stand-Ins (2008)

Posted by awmercy | Labels: , , ,

Essentially, this is the The Stage Names appendix, so it's not surprising that the overall tone and themes are very similar. They're still singing about the indie rock lifestyle, like on the excellent "Pop Lie", and fame, on the rollicking "Singer Songwriter". Likewise, the lyrics are up in front of their ramshackle folk rock, and full of allusions to pop culture and pop music. While there are some good songs here, it's missing those standout tracks that grabbed me last time. However, I loved The Stage Names, so this is a welcome addition to my collection, especially the above tracks and "Calling And Not Calling My Ex".

2 comments:

Nightrain said...

Yes, this is all very true. The Stand-Ins has no stand-outs...

I do like "Lost Coastlines" and "Bruce Wayne Campbell Interviewed On The Roof Of The Chelsea Hotel, 1979" (perhaps the longest song name ever, that isn't a classical piece), but I find myself wondering — If I didn't already really like Okkervil River, would I like this album?

July 22, 2008 1:24 PM  
awmercy said...

The more I listen to this album the more I like it.

August 29, 2008 9:16 AM  

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